Tokyo Fairy
by FairyTails77
Summary: Lucy is a journalist for a popular news station and must hide the fact that she has been changed into a ghoul because of an accident only a month prior. How does she react when she finds out that the pink haired man that helped her was also the one at the scene of the accident? Fairy Tail x Tokyo Ghoul
1. Work

_"Last night a construction site collapsed after several of the support beams were damaged. Police say that two people were found dead at the scene, but not from the wreckage."_

 _"The body's were horribly mutilated in a way that simply being crushed would not be possible. From the evidence we've gathered, it is most likely the devastating attack from a ghoul..."_

 _"More to come later today. I'm Erza Scarlet, back to you Freed."_

"Nice to see Erza got over her stage fright." Lucy stood with her coffee towards the back of the stage watching her coworkers. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a single side pony tail with a blue ribbon. She wore a blue and white striped tank top and a dark blue skirt, a press badge around her neck.

"I know right? But why is Freed the anchor again?" Lucy turned behind her to see who the voice was coming from and smiled.

"Because he's fabulously gay and makes for great ratings." Levy and Lucy both laughed. She was short despite her age and you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at her that she was the head of the research department for the news channel they worked for. Levy was the one who got Lucy the job as a journalist about a year ago.

She pulled out a pad of paper and handed it to Lucy. "You forgot your notes at the apartment. I thought I would come by and drop them off." One of the perks of having a room mate you work with.

Relief flooded Lucy. "Oh my gosh thank you! I was in such a rush to get out of the house this morning." She took the notepad from her and hugged it against her chest.

"No prob! By the way I got some more info on that case they were just talking about."

"Hm?" Lucy took a drink of her coffee.

"Apparently they've narrowed it down to two ghouls. One of them is known as Salamander and the other is this new one that's showed up named Andromeda."

"Andromeda? That's kind of a weird name."

Levy nods. "It makes sense though. Her mask only covers one of her eyes and it looks like a galaxy." Lucy choked on her coffee. Levy looked at her confused and asked if she was okay.

Lucy regained her composure and nodded. "Yah I'm good. Just...kind of weird that a new one showed up right?"

Levy raises her eyebrow. "Yaaah...but I'm having some people work on where this new one came from. Wanna work on putting something together over lunch once we find out more?"

"Yah! I'd love to. Let me know when you've got something." They both exchange smiles and Levy walks in the other direction towards her office. Lucy exhales the breath she didn't know she was holding.

 _Just don't make me eat anything…_


	2. We Meet Again

"...after that we went to the aquarium and wandered around there for a little while. I found the sea lions to be the best part, but Gajeel found the sharks to be more interesting."

Lucy moved pushed a fry around on her plate.

"Then he proposed to me while riding a jet ski in the orca tank..." Lucy didn't look up.

"Lucy!"

The blonde jumped and dropped her fry. "You weren't listening at all were you?" She looked guiltily at Levy.

"Sorry Levy. I've just had some stuff on my mind. You were talking about Gajeel right? Something about an aquarium?" Levy nodded and noticed the uneaten food on her plate. She hadn't so much as eaten a fry or take a bite out of the burger. Now that she thought about it, Lucy hasn't eaten anything in front of her in a while. She wanted to call her out on it, but the last thing Levy wanted to do was put Lucy in an awkward position in public.

"Yah, we went on a date to the aquarium. After the aquarium we went out to go and get dinner at this small restaurant a few blocks down..."

As Levy continued on with her story and Lucy listened. The two had been friends since high school so they knew each other pretty well, well enough to know when something was bothering the other one. Lucy just had to bury her thoughts and pay attention to what her best friend was saying. The last thing she needed was Levy to start worrying about something she didn't need to get involved.

After dinner, the two girls headed back to their apartment. Tonight they had both gotten off early and it's a Friday, which meant binge watching Grey's Anatomy and staying up till four in the morning.

"SHES PREGNANT?!" Popcorn flew across the room. They both laid on the couch covered in blankets, spewing pathetic insults as to how they could have been so stupid.

"April just tell him! Ugh! This show is going to kill me..." Lucy throws a handful of popcorn at the television, missing horribly.

"Okay, but honestly? Dr. Shepherd is probably the hottest guy on the show." Lucy nods agreeing with her.

Several hours later, Levy had fallen dead asleep on the couch. Lucy was half asleep when she heard a noise coming from outside. Careful not to wake Levy up, Lucy got up and moved their curtains to see what was going on. Her eyes took a second to adjust to the street lights outside and focus in on something below them.

A man somewhere in his late thirties had cornered a women about ten years younger than him. He dug his nails into her arms and started to pull her into the alley way behind the apartment. She was kicking a screaming for help.

Lucy gritted her teeth and ran into her bedroom. She dug out a shoe box from all the mess under her bed and pulled out a black half-face mask. It covered the right side of her face, including her eye and her forehead. It was as if someone had taken a white and gold galaxy and covered the whole mask, leaving the black as a background.

She grabbed the mask and put it on. Slowly she opened up the window in her room and climbed down the fire escape. Both terror and excitement took over her. The last few times she's gone out, Lucy has worried not only for her safety but for Levy's. She was human and couldn't protect herself like she could.

"Please! No!" The women screamed as she sobbed. The man had managed to take off her shirt and was now working on his pants.

Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She jumped the rest of the fire escape and landed in a lunge. One leg was stretched out and the other bent, her hands planted on the ground. When she looked up, the man had only glanced at her before turning his attention back to the women.

He did a double take and saw that Lucy's eye was black and red. Before he could scream, she charged and was ripping him off the women in an instant. He was on the floor, Lucy on top. She yanked him back up harshly and threw him into the brick wall behind them, holding him up by his throat.

"PLEASE! IM BEGGING YOU LET ME GO!" The man fought against her grip.

Lucy looked him dead in the eye. Her kagune was out for display on her side and she could see him trying to break eye contact to see hit. She pulled him back and then quickly pushed him again, earning another yelp.

"Did you let her go when she begged?" The man froze, unable to respond.

"You disgust me." Lucy snarled. Before he could blink, her kagune had stabbed him in the abdomen repeatedly. She watched absolute terror grow in his eyes as she dropped him dead.

Nothing but silence filled the air for several moments. Lucy took a step back and examined her work. The only time she had been so horrified with herself was the first time she ate. What made it even worse? She hadn't _eaten_ in about a month.

Lucy backed away from the man and the mess she'd made. The women was no where to be seen. _She must have left as soon as he let go...I don't blame her._

Breathing suddenly became extremely difficult. So did standing. Lucy leaned up against one of the brick walls and slid her back down the side. She couldn't tell whether or not is was because of lack of sleep or because she was hungry, but either way she slowly gave in.

—

"Come on! Not even a little?"

"No! Now get off my territory brat. Go feed on the homeless like everyone else in this stupid city."

"But aren't you..."

"I said leave!"

A figure ran around the corner into a random alley. "Jackass. Wouldn't even let me have a bite."

He scratched his head and sighed. He hadn't eaten much in the past few days and was dying to get his hands on something to eat.

Frustrated, he put his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock. It bounced off the fire escape he was near and landed near a person. Curious, he got a closer look. She was blonde and wore a black mask with a white and gold Galaxy pattern. Her hands and clothes were covered with blood spatters, and after getting a quick look at the man across the alley, he could understand why.

He took off her mask and nearly dropped it when he saw her face.

 _It's her! But I thought she was...never mind._

Quickly he picked her up, careful not to forget her mask. Her blonde hair flowed freely as he ran to the safest place he could think of...Fairy Tail.


	3. Pinned

Lucy expected to wake up in a filthy alley and not on a couch surrounded by people she'd never met.

She sat up and just happened to look down. She was no longer wearing the t-shirt and leggings she wore the night before. They'd been replaced with a sweat shirt with some kind of logo on it and a clean pair of sweat pants.

A woman with long white hair knelt beside her and a girl with blue hair who couldn't be older than fifteen stood close by.

"Hey there. How're you feeling?" The one with white hair spoke softly, as if she was afraid she'd scare her.

"I'm fine...just tired."

The one with white hair nodded with satisfaction.

"Wendy go ahead and let Natsu know she's awake. He won't stop asking." The young girl smiled and then left the room.

After a moment of silence, she took the hint. "I'm guessing you've got some questions?"

Just as Lucy opened her mouth to say something, the door slammed open. "Where is she Mira?!"

"Natsu calm down. She just woke up."

Lucy looked over the edge of the couch so that she could see him. He wore a black and yellow coat with only one sleeve and sandals. That's when she noticed the hair. Pink spiky hair...

"Yo! Glad to hear you're doing alright. I'm Natsu by the WOAH!" He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence. In a mere second Lucy had climbed over the couch and was now forcefully pinning him up against the wall with her forearm. She breathed heavily and worst of all, her one eye had unintentionally turned black.

Natsu gasped. "So it is you...but I thought you were dead!"

Lucy pushed him against the wall again.

"Do I look dead to you?! You ruined my life! Why didn't you just leave me alone?!" Pure rage had taken over Lucy. This guy was the whole reason she hated her life now. He's the reason she's a ghoul.

Mira had snuck up behind Lucy and wrapped her arms around hers, prying her off Natsu. She turned Lucy around so that they could face eachother. Mira's jaw dropped when she saw her eye.

"Natsu what did you do?" Mira's voice was full of concern, for both of them.

He rubbed the arm Lucy had grabbed hold of. "I saved her life! I don't exactly see what I did wrong." Lucy fought harder against Mira's hold. Natsu didn't budge.

"How is letting them change me into a ghoul not wrong?!" Tears formed in Lucy's eyes but she refused to let them get any farther than that.

"Well it was either call an ambulance or let an innocent person die in a pile of fallen debris. I chose to play the good guy." Natsu crossed his arms. "Not to mention I was also the one who brought you here last night."

Lucy had stopped fighting. She simply looked down, unwilling to face anyone.

A moment of silence passed before the door opened once more. A short elderly man walked in with a large coffee, and after surveying the room he looked up.

"Would someone mind filling me in on what I missed?"

Mira gave the old man a smile. "Morning, master! Just keeping these two from killing each other."

The master raised an eyebrow. "Killing each other?" He looked to Lucy, who he just now noticed was being held back by Mira.

"Ah child, it seems like you're doing better."

"I just fell asleep was all. Didn't think there was anything wrong with me." She still hung her head.

The master shook his head. "I'm sorry but that wasn't really the case. It seemed like you hadn't eaten in awhile. Natsu mentioned that when he found you, there was a man that looked like you killed. But you didn't eat did you?"

Now it was Lucy's turn to shake her head. She didn't feel like saying anything else.

"Gramps, she only has one eye."

The master glanced at Natsu then signaled Mira to let the girl go. When she was free, Lucy shifted slowly around the couch and sat down.

The master walked up to Lucy. "I don't believe you've even told us your name."

Lucy raised her head, no longer hiding her face.

"It's Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia."

Makarov smiled warmly. "Well Lucy, would you mind telling us how this happened?"

She looked to Natsu, who was now sitting on a wooden stool he had found. He didn't so much as turn her way. She buried the anger she felt towards him and took a deep breath.

"About a month ago I was wandering through an old office building..."


	4. Backstories suck

"About a month ago I was wandering through an old office building that had been known for recent ghoul sightings. I'm a journalist and wanted information as close to first hand that I could get. As I was writing down some of my findings, I heard noises coming from the upper floors. I went upstairs to go check it out since the building was supposed to be vacant till the next morning when construction would begin again. When I got to where the noise was, I saw two ghouls fighting. One was a male who had dark brown hair and what appeared to be a purple, orange and yellow jagged wing coming from his back. The other was Natsu..."

Several eyes landed on Natsu but all he could do was look away.

Lucy continued. "To the right up against the wall was a little girl. She couldn't have been older than fourteen and she had long blue hair in pigtails. I ran over to her trying not to be spotted. I picked the girl up and threw her over my shoulders but before I could even get a step in the other direction to get out, the brunette hit Natsu in a way that forced him to look in my direction. Immediately I started to sprint with the girl on my back while Natsu and the brunette chased me. I didn't realize I was getting dangerously close to the edge of the building. The brunette lunged and I took a step backwards and started to fall over the edge. The brunette panicked and tried to grab ahold of the side of the building which caused the building to collapse. Before I blacked out I saw Natsu pulling out a phone as he slung the girl over his shoulder. When I woke up, the doctors had told me they'd found me underneath the wreckage and used parts of the brunette to operate on me."

When Lucy had finished, nobody spoke and the room remained silent for several moments. Natsu sat up.

"Wendy."

"What?" Lucy turned to Natsu.

"The girl? Her name is Wendy. She's my sister. The brunette? He was a cannibal that went after Wendy, assuming she was an easy target and unprotected." He looked up at her. "I was only doing what I thought was right. You helped her that night by the way so thanks."

Lucy hesitated. "So the blue haired girl that was in here..."

"That was her. When I brought her in, she was the one who fixed up any injuries you had." Natsu stopped for a second. "You haven't eaten in awhile have you?"

Lucy hesitated again and then shook her head.

"Lucy, would you like to come here more often?" The Master stood up, quickly changing the topic. "Everyone employed here is the same and it's a safe place. We all treat each other like family and we are always willing to take new recruits."

"It's true. We've all been through tough times but we are there for each other. Please? I know you'll fit in just fine." Mira beamed.

Not really sure what to say, Lucy just smiled and nodded, somehow managing to make out a yes. Mira couldn't contain her excitement. She ran over to Lucy and grabbed both of her hands.

"Let's go get you a mark." She led Lucy out of the room, not before Lucy got a last look at Natsu who was now leaning forward in his seat talking to the man he referred to as "Gramps". She had no idea what could be going on in his head right now. She wasn't aware that he was only trying to watch over sister; she'd only thought about how much she hated him and how much she wished her life was different.

Mira had led her to the front room. It was no where near what Lucy had expected. It was a coffee shop the size of a gym. Rows and rows of wooden tables and benches spread across the floor only to be filled with at least fifty people. The employees wore black aprons and carried various trays of coffee and typical coffee house food.

"I thought we couldn't eat normal food?" Lucy asked.

"We serve humans as well. Helps to seems more normal and raise less red flags for the CCG." Mira went behind he large bar counter and pulled out what looked to be a stamp. "What color and where would you like it?"

"Pink, and if I could, on my right hand." Lucy placed her hand flat on the table as Mira placed the stamp on it. When she lifted it, the Fairy Tail insignia in pink was left. Lucy held up her hand to admire it.

"It's like Sharpie." Mira spoke up. "It'll stay for awhile but, in case of emergency, it can fade. After awhile some get an actual tattoo."

"Thank you Mira. I love it." Lucy put her hand down and gave her a quick hug to show her appreciation. Mira reciprocated and peered behind Lucy.

"I think someone wants to talk to you." Lucy tilted her head confused until she turned around to see a small girl who was at least fourteen. Her long blue hair was pulled up into two pigtails with red ribbons. She even looked a little nervous.

"Wendy?" The girl looked a little taken back, not expecting Lucy to know her name.

"Y-yah how did you-?"

"Natsu told me." Lucy knelt down a bit to look her in the eyes.

Wendy smiled. The mention of her brothers name must have calmed her down. "I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out awhile back. It meant a lot to both of us."

Lucy's now light hearted demeanor relieved some more of the tension between them. "It was no problem. The fact that you're alright is enough for me." Wendy grinned widely. She hugged Lucy around the waist in thanks and Lucy reciprocated.

When they separated, Wendy stole Lucy from Mira, who was now busy with a customer, to go meet some of the regulars and employees. One had black "fluffy" hair (as Wendy called it) and managed to lose both his shirt and pants in the few seconds they had met. His name was Gray. They also met a woman about Lucy's age. Her name was Cana and the entire time Wendy introduced them she only put her beer draft down once. She met so many more: Wakaba and Macao, Romeo, Elfman, Gajeel, and even Erza who she had no idea was a ghoul as well.

Lucy was sad to leave the people she had just met. She knew she would be coming back soon. Lucy glanced down at her hand, catching a glimpse of the pink mark. Spending time at the coffee house helped to take her mind off of the worries and fear that seemed to plague her more recently. Maybe it would become a second home.


	5. Weirdo

The following weeks after she first visited Fairy Tail were rather uneventful. Nothing exciting seemed to come up at work and the recent attacks occurred less and less often which, unfortunately, gave her nothing to report on besides the average car accident. Lucy took this spare time to go over any extra work she came across.

"Slow day Lu?" Lucy spun around in her dark blue swivel chair to meet the short bluenette that was leaning into her small office with two coffees.

Lucy sighed, "Yah. There hasn't been anything headline worthy in a while."

"I know what you mean. The team and I are running on anything we can get right now." Levy stepped in and handed her one of the drinks, which Lucy happily accepted. "You'd think that for a big city there would be more action."

Lucy nods and take a drink, feeling a bit more relaxed. She often found herself stressing out if she couldn't find a story or if she wasn't keeping busy. "I suppose it's a good thing though. It means less people are getting hurt."

"That's true. Though it's kind of weird when you think about it. Those two ghouls Salamander and Andromeda were pretty big until a few weeks ago. Wonder what happened to them."

Lucy shrugged. "Don't know. I guess as long as less people are getting hurt it doesn't really matter."

Levy sat up straight and smiled, quickly changing the topic. "Anyways back to work." Before Lucy could say anything, the small bluenette had pulled Lucy out of her soft chair earning a surprised yelp from her. Levy laughed.

"Come on, let's go walk around. We can't find a story just sitting here." Lucy smiled, giving in to her best friend.

"Alright. I could use the exercise anyways." They rounded the wooden office doors and made their way down the hallways. Outside her small office laid several cubicles that contained writers just like herself, hurriedly typing away on their keyboards. Normally she would be sitting in one too, but her boss, Jason, had taken a liking to her and had her moved into the office as a promotion.

Levy led Lucy outside the "cubicle farm" as they called it and found themselves crossing the front desk, talking about miscellaneous topics varying from the books they were reading to whether or not they should get a pet for the apartment.

Amidst their discussion on what to name their future cat, Levy stopped and nodded towards the front desk. "Wonder what's going on."

"Hm?" Lucy's eyes followed Levy's line of sight.

"Come on! I know she's gotta be here. Isn't there any other way you could get a hold of her?"

"I'm sorry sir, but until I hear back from her I cannot allow you to go beyond this point! Like I've said before I can take a messa-"

"Natsu?" The boy perked up from his bent over position on the desk and looked till he found the blonde walking towards him with a short blue haired girl in tow.

Natsu grinned, waving his hand. "Yo Luce! I was wondering why you weren't answering."

"Lucy do I need to call security?" The man behind the desk cast a side glance at Natsu, giving him a dirty look.

Lucy shook her head. "No it's fine, he's cool. Thanks Danny!" Danny looked back and forth between the two and smirked. Levy shifted over to Danny, whispering something to him that the two couldn't make out. It had to be something good because Danny shook hands with Levy saying "You are so on girl."

"What are you doing here anyways?" Lucy asked.

Natsu shrugged. "I just thought I would stop by. I remembered you saying you were a journalist so I went to the first place I thought of! I figured since you were such a weirdo that you would work for the biggest news station in town."

Lucy defensively put her hands on her hips and leaned forward towards the boy. "How does being successful mean I'm a weirdo?! You're the one who figured out where I worked based off the info I gave you!"

"Lu are you sure we don't need to call security?" Levy readied her index finger over the small button next to the intercom. Danny leaned forward in his rolling chair as if he was watching one of his sitcoms. Lucy waved her arms at the girl frantically.

"No no no! Trust me it's fine. He's a friend!" Levy shrugged and removed her hand from the space above the button, causing Lucy to release the breath she had been subconsciously holding. She shifted her attention back to Natsu. "That's Levy by the way. The absolute bane of my existence." Levy pretended to be insulted, her hand flying to her heart.

Lucy laughed. "I'm just kidding, I love you." Natsu and Lucy turned to Danny who had muttered something incoherent to Levy, earning an elbow to the ribs. Natsu simply ignored the gesture.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to head down to the shop with me? I've got the day off but I didn't know how busy you were."

Lucy pursed her lips, unsure if she could. "Don't worry about it Lu. I'll cover you." Levy winked from behind the desk.

Natsu beamed with excitement. "Well then that settles it!" Natsu took her hand and rushed themselves out the large revolving glass doors. "Natsu slow down I'm in heels!" He zeroed in on the tapping her short heels were making. Why women wore clothing that was uncomfortable was unknown to him.

Lucy slowed him down to a stop just a few yards outside the building. People strolled both inside and outside the large spinning doors. "I've got an extra set of shoes in my car. They might be easier to walk around in than these." She assumed he knew she was referring to the heels, but knowing him, he could be thinking about pizza.

Luckily he understood and (much to his dismay) followed her into the parking garage where she grabbed the black ballet flats she stored in the trunk of her car. She owned a nice little blue Bug.

"I thought you had a Nissan?"

Lucy sighed. "Yah, but some guy pulled a hit and run on it. It was cheeper to get a new car rather than have it fixed." She easily slipped on the flats and stood up. "Alright! Good to go."

As they walked out of the garage Natsu happened to glance at Lucy. She wore a nice pair of dark blue skinny jeans that matched the black belt and a white blouse with a collar and dark blue roses dotting the fabric. He noticed part of her hair was pulled back into a bun but the rest draped down to the middle of her back. The strands that remained free framed her face in the front. Most of all, she looked content, calmer and even happier than when he had first found her in the alley.

"You're in a weird mood."

Lucy gave him a dirty look. "What do you mean weird?"

Natsu shrugged, looking straight ahead. "You just look happier than when I found you."

Lucy could feel her cheeks the heat gradually increasing. "Well it's not a bad thing to be happy." She looked away, knowing he was referring to when she passed out in the alley. "I've been doing a lot better than when you found me. Everyone at the shop has been helping me adjust. I don't go out very much anymore and I've learned to better control myself."

Natsu smiled. "Good! That means you're learning. The only way you are going to be able to help yourself is to know that there are people around who care about you and want to help."

Lucy was quiet for a few moments, taking in what he had said and unsure what to say next.

"Plus it means you won't be pinning me up against a wall anytime soon." He smirked at her as she gawked.

"I can pin you anytime I want!" She was about to say something else when she realized what she had said, and how loud she'd said it surrounded by strangers on the sidewalk. A deep red shaded Lucy's face as Natsu laughed.

Before the Lucy could defend herself, Natsu announced that they'd arrived. Walking through the doors again sent a wave of comfort and warmth towards the girl.

The scent of fresh coffee filled the air along with a few alcoholic drinks. It was just like when Lucy had first awoken and walked out to the front of the cafe. Waiters and waitresses scattered the wood panel floors delivering various types of drinks and coffee foods. People laughed and joked around with the other customers. It was home.

Lucy found herself sitting at the bar counter while Natsu immediately went over to Gray to start a fight.

"Hi Lucy!" Lucy turned to the women behind the bar pouring a cup of coffee.

"Hey Mira! Anything new happening?"

"Hmm, not really. Everything here's been pretty calm for once. Although you are never going to believe what Erza told me." Mira then spun off into the latest gossip she had. She was one of the nicest people you'd probably ever meet, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her that one, she knew everything about everyone and two, she was one of the most feared ghouls in their district. Lucy had never seen her like that but she'd heard enough to imagine.

As Mira went on, she didn't notice that Master Mackerov had snuck up behind her.

"Mira can I speak with you for a moment?" Lucy took note of his expression. It was serious with a hint of fear. Mira's light hearted mood turned as well and followed him to the back room. After a few moments, Mira walked back out.

"Is everything ok?"

Mira nodded, but Lucy could tell something was wrong. "Mira what's going on?"

Mira's voice turned very quiet as she leaned in closer for only Lucy to hear. "The CCG have increased their numbers in this district and are trying to hunt someone down that killed one of their members."

Chills ran through Lucy's body. This was a peaceful district! Why were ghouls attacking, especially CCG members? "Mira who are they tracking?"

"Natsu and Wendy's mother and father: Grandeeney and Igneel."


	6. Mother and Daughter, Father and Son

"Lucy I want you to meet my parents."

Lucy choked on the coffee cup she was drinking from. Mira, Cana and Erza were unable to suppress their laughter.

"You-you want me to meet your parents?" said Lucy as she wiped away the drink from her chin.

Natsu beamed. "Yah. I mean we've known each other for a few months and you still haven't met them. I know they'd love to meet you!"

Lucy could see that he was excited about this and despite her being unsure, she said she'd love to. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she couldn't find a reason why she should be nervous.

"Sweet! Come by my place tonight at around 6 and we can head over there for dinner together. You'll love 'em!" Before Lucy could say anything else Natsu scampered off in the other direction of the shop. She groaned, her face meeting the wooden countertop.

"Lucy I didn't know you and Natsu were so serious." Cana said.

"We're not!" Lucy retorted, her face slowly turning pink. "We're just friends."

"I would say it's closer to best friends." The girls turned to Erza. "Natsu hasn't had anyone this special to him since Lisanna."

Lucy heard about Lisanna a while back. She was Mirajane and Elfman's little sister and went missing for a two years when she was really young. She's perfectly fine now, but she's studying overseas to become a biologist.

Mira nodded. "Natsu has friends of course, but they're not Lucy," She glanced at Lucy. "He's always bored when you're not around."

"You guys don't think it's too weird? I mean as far as I'm concerned we aren't dating." Lucy paused at the silence that followed that statement.

"He knows we're not dating right?"

Cana held up a finger just as Erza was about to speak. She took a slow drag of her drink and wiped her mouth. In that time, Wendy had come up behind them and was listening to their conversation.

"Natsu's dense. If I had to guess he probably has feelings for you and doesn't even realize how he's acting." Lucy's eyes bugged and the red in her cheeks deepened.

"Well then." Erza stood up and clapped her hands together. "I suppose you'll just have to clarify your relationship tonight! Even if you're just friends, that doesn't mean you can't look wonderful while meeting his parents. Come!" Erza eagerly took Lucy by the arm and led her out of the guild. Wendy followed close after.

"We must find you a new outfit!"

* * *

Natsu led Lucy up to the front porch where a big wooden door with an oval glass window sat in the middle. She fiddled with her purse, switching it from either side of her body. Natsu eyed her.

"Why're you playing with that?" Natsu asked concerned. Lucy stopped playing with the purse and pulled out her car keys, rubbing circles on them.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. It's a nervous habit." Now she played with the lanyard attached to the silver keys. Natsu peered down at the lanyard before he quickly stuffed it back inside her purse. "Hey!"

"There's no reason for you to be nervous! I promise they'll like you. Wendy doesn't shut up about you when they're around." Lucy scowled but it quickly morphed into a light smile.

"You're right. I don't know why I was so nervous-"

"Oh by the way I may have mentioned how you're half human." Before Lucy could threaten to throw him into the sun Natsu rang the doorbell and flashed her his famous smile.

"Coming!" The door was soon opened and revealed a very happy Wendy. She was still wearing her school uniform which is a red long sleeved shirt and the black pleated skirt. Lucy took note of what appeared to be a smudge on her forehead.

"Mom, Dad! It's Natsu and Lucy!" Natsu hugged the young girl before she bounded off to her help her mother in the kitchen. The moment Lucy stepped inside the house, she was in awe. She'd seen Natsu's apartment (which wasn't all that impressive or even clean since it was just him and Gray) so she honestly had no idea what to expect from his family. The hallway they were led down consisted of beautiful wooden floors and an accent red wall to the right. Natsu set his keys down in the bowl on top of the hallway table and led her to the bar that separated the living room from the kitchen and dining room. Pictures of the family hung all over the walls, the biggest one over the fire place in the living room. It looked like a house that she would see on House Hunters or in an insurance company commercial. It felt homey.

"Wendy can you hand me the screwdriver? I think I figured out a way to get that stupid closet open…" A tall man with red hair and a "Best Dad Award" shirt said as he peeked his head around the corner. His eyes met Lucy's as she then learned where Natsu got his big smile from. "You must be Lucy!" He quickly wiped his hands on jeans and reached out his hand for her.

"I'm Natsu and Wendy's dad, Igneel. Natsu's told me all about you."

Lucy returned the favor while casting a side glare to the boy. "I'm Lucy. Thanks for having me over." Igneel opened his mouth to speak.

"It's no problem. We love having company." A new voice from the kitchen spoke up. A woman with blue eyes and long white hair smiled warmly. Her hands took a break from stirring something in a pan as she walked over to Lucy.

"My name's Grandeeney. I'm Natsu and Wendy's mother. It's so nice to finally meet you." Grandeeney casted a slight glare at her son. Probably to ask why he didn't bring her by sooner. She turned to Igneel who was picking up the screwdriver Wendy had set aside for him. "Do you really have to wear that? It's so tacky." She gestured to the shirt.

Igneel put his hands on his hips in protest. "Yes! I just so happen to like it! Metalicana gave it to me."

"You are aware that this is your brother we are talking about?"

"I guess you could say," Igneel smirked at Natsu and picked up a thumb tack. "That he's a little tacky too." Grandeeney playfully smacked him on the arm as he laughed at his own joke. Natsu and Wendy groaned. Clearly they were well accustomed to the never ending dad jokes. Lucy couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Alright, I'm gonna go see if I can get the game closet open. Natsu you wanna help me?" Natsu nodded and followed his father.

Lucy walked around the bar and into the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help Mrs. Dragneel?"

"Please. Call me Grandeeney and if you'd like to you can grab a couple mugs. I believe the coffee is just about ready." Grandeeney pulled her hair into a loose side ponytail, what Levy would call the "classic anime mom hairstyle". Lucy smiled. It reminded her of the times her own mom would make dinner and have her hair pulled to the side. The three talked, mainly asking Lucy questions about her life. Things like how she met Natsu and Wendy were ignored which Lucy was grateful for.

"So Natsu tells me you work for MBC. What's that like?" Lucy grinned, excited someone had asked about her profession and eagerly dove right into the subject. She told her about the Journalism department, about Levy, the extents she's gone to get a story. She left out the time she'd met Natsu and Wendy though.

When Lucy had felt like she'd talked enough about herself, she apologized but Grandeeney simply encouraged her. Wendy as well. They asked about Lucy's family and fortunately did not press for more information when she looked away. That was another thing Grandeeney and her mother had in common: they were understanding and didn't make anyone do anything they didn't feel comfortable doing.

"GOT IT!" The girls peered down the hallway in the direction of the shouting which was followed by a loud crash.

"You got it?!" Grandeeney teased. They groaned in response.

"Boys…"

* * *

It continued like that for the rest of the evening. After the boys had recovered from the door unhinging, they gathered around the dinner table with various board games. Everyone had a cup of coffee and shared stories. Stories about everyone's childhoods, various camping trips and vacation disasters. Natsu accused Lucy of cheating because she was beating him in Sorry. She'd just sent him back to the start for the third time and each time the laughter around the table grew.

Lucy's mother, Layla, had died when she was young. She was never really close with her father after that because he shut her out of his life. He buried himself in his work and refused to have any interaction to his daughter. That was until he came to tell her he'd lost everything. After years of abandonment, he asked her for help and she treated him coldly. He later proved that he was trying to mend their broken relationship. He got a new job, rented an apartment and was even forced to sell the family mansion to pay off debt. They started to spend more time together.

One day she got the once in a life time opportunity to do an internship overseas as a journalist. Over the two years that she was gone, Lucy lost contact with her father. When she came back she was left with the news that he'd died only a few months prior to her return. Lucy was devastated. For the longest time she truly had no one except Levy to talk to and even then there were some setbacks. She couldn't find it in herself to tell her about the accident. She remembers refusing to leave the house for a long time, laying on her bed for hours on end even after the accident.

Lucy thought about this as the Dragneels argued over who's turn it was. If she hadn't met Natsu that night, Lucy wouldn't be where she is right now. He wouldn't have brought her back to Fairy Tail. She would have never met everyone at the shop. She wouldn't have met one of her best friends. She wouldn't be experiencing a family for the first time in a long time.

"Lucy are you okay?" Lucy looked up to see Wendy with a concerned look on her face.

Lucy nods. "Yah I'm fine. I was just thinking about the time Natsu broke into my house a-"

"Natsu you broke into her house?!" Igneel and Grandeeney exclaimed. Natsu's hands flew up defensively.

"In my defense she said I could come over and hang out!"

"I didn't mean at two-thirty in the morning!" Lucy retorted.

Natsu's parents continue to scold him for breaking into her apartment at such an ungodly hour as Lucy and Wendy laughed. Lucy felt bad about the white lie but it didn't seem appropriate to tell them what she was really thinking. She'd just met them.

After hours of playing games, story-telling and laughing Natsu and Lucy left for the night. They said their goodbyes and invited Lucy to come over whenever she wanted. Lucy thanked them as she followed Natsu out to the car.

"I think your parents like me." Lucy said with a grin.

"Wish you didn't have to make such a good impression on them. Cause now they'll never shut up about you." Natsu laughed. He pulled out of the driveway and made his way back to his house where Lucy was parked. They said good night and parted ways. She had a feeling this wasn't the only time she'd be seeing his family.

* * *

 _"Reports of the attacks are increasing yet again Freed. According to eyewitness accounts, several ghouls have been caught hunting in groups rather than solo. More often than not, the unfortunate victims of these attacks are left alive long enough for authorities to discover them. It's as if they are trying to send a warning or to establish control…"_

Lucy listened from behind the cameras in the studio. She knew more than she would have liked to about the attacks Erza spoke about. She was fortunate to not have come across any of the attackers and even more so to not have run into a Dove. Despite the urgency of the situation, the atmosphere maintained its normal cheerful manner whenever she stopped by the shop.

"Any thoughts Lu?" Levy said as she snuck up next to her. "I mean I always thought they mimicked animals based off what the CCG releases about the victims. But after hearing this, I'd say they're more human than we think."

"But humans don't eat humans right? I mean that just doesn't happen."

"True. They blend in perfectly with everyone because they look human. We hear attacks of ghouls simply killing their victims and leaving them partially eaten and now with the news that many are grouping up it leads me to believe that they're displaying human characteristics. Humans like power and control. They're doing that and establishing fear into us."

Lucy looked astonished. She wasn't aware of just how much thought Levy had put into the topic. "Well then what about the ones that don't kill? I'd say they're more human than anyone."

Levy nodded. "Humans don't eat humans right?"

Before Lucy could respond, the broadcast ended in the studio and the staff filed out until the next airing. Her phone buzzed as the screen lit up.

"Hey! Wanna go and get lunch? There's this new sandwich shop that just opened down the street we could go to." Levy asked patiently.

Lucy looked down at her phone and read the words "Call me when you get this" along with a missed call from Natsu. "Lucy?"

She looked up and shook her head apologetically. "Sorry Lev, I've gotta do something. Maybe tomorrow?" Lucy dialed the number on her phone and looked back at her best friend. She hadn't felt this guilty in a long time.

"Hello?"

"Hey Natsu it's Lucy. Everything okay?"

"Not really. Have you talked to my dad recently? I haven't heard from him since you came over. The last time mom said she saw him was when he left for work Wednesday morning last week." Lucy could hear the slight panic in his voice.

"I haven't heard anything no. But…Natsu I don't want to scare you…" She really didn't want to have to assume the worst, especially since she knows how emotional Natsu can be.

"I can't go around thinking that just yet. I know him and mom have targets on their backs so we're trying to stay off the Doves' radar. Mom is still at the house but Wendy has been staying the night at my place just to be safe. I swear if they try and hurt Mom or Dad or even Wendy-"

"Natsu you just said that you can't afford to think like this. I know that the circumstances aren't great right now but isn't there still a chance that this is a huge misunderstanding? I mean maybe he had to stay away and isn't able to get in contact?" Honestly she had a hard time believing this was just some coincidence. Igneel wasn't the type of person to just disappear without good reasoning.

A moment passed before a low "yah" passed through the phone. The topic transitioned into their plans for the weekend and anything new that had happened at work. Lucy laughed at Natsu's latest mishap at the firestation as she unlocked her car.

"Just so you know I'm getting in the car and about to head out to lunch. I'll see you and Wendy later tonight alright?" She said as she dug in her purse for the car keys.

"Wait! Before you go I should probably tell you that Wendy doesn't know about any of this. It's best that way." His voice was full of concern for his sister. Lucy promised not to tell her anything before they hung up. It made sense though to keep Wendy in the dark. She didn't need to be scared like that. The best thing they could do for her was tell her "dad's on a business trip. He'll be home in a few days." A knot formed in Lucy's throat from the guilt. First she ditched Levy plus now she had to keep a secret from a young girl that trusted her as much as her brother. It just seemed to keep piling up.


	7. A Mother's Safety

Dinner carried out at Natsu and Gray's apartment like every other night. The apartment maintained its usual state of disarray, evidence that two twenty-one-year-old boys lived there. A small stack of pizza boxes and dirty dishes laid around the kitchen counters and the end table had a series of half-full takeout containers decorating it. The boys argued over what to eat, which resulted in Wendy and Lucy calling the local Chinese take-out restaurant. Gray, Natsu, Wendy and Lucy all sat in the living room on the futon and on the floor. They were watching a random show they'd chosen from Netflix since no one else in the house could come up with anything to watch.

Gray casually looked down at his phone and nudged Natsu, signaling his attention. With a groan, Natsu took the device and scrolled down. He smirked.

"Bout time you guys made it official." Natsu handed the phone back, earning a questioning look from the girls.

"Wait you and Juvia?! Congrats Gray!" Lucy exclaimed. Gray shrugged like it was nothing, but the light pink in his cheeks gave him away. Gray was attending school to become an architect and met this girl named Juvia, who was there as a biology major. She gave off a strange stalker vibe for the longest time before Gray actually confronted her about it and started to hang out with her of his own free will.

Natsu got up from the floor and returned with a couple of beers, handing the adults one each and Wendy received the sparkling cider meant specifically for her.

"To you guys. That Juvia doesn't go insane dating the stripper!" The four raised their drinks just as Gray tried to retort.

"By the way Natsu, when are you and Lucy getting together?" Wendy said innocently as she pulled out her homework. Lucy nearly dropped her drink, casting a fleeting glance at Natsu before regaining her composure. Natsu didn't seem all that effected by the question. Lucy tried not to let it bother her that much. When Wendy didn't get an answer, she announced she was going into the guest room to finish her homework for the night and would see them all tomorrow. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

As soon as the bedroom door closed, Lucy spoke up.

"Has anyone else noticed Wendy acting a bit strange? It can't just be me." Natsu took another long drink of the alcohol and breathed deeply.

"It's our dad. She keeps saying she wants to see him even when I tell her she can't right now. She wants to go home."

"Natsu you still haven't told her what's going on? She deserves to know." Gray leaned forward, keeping his voice low so that only the two people in front of him could hear him. Natsu shook his head.

"She doesn't need to know. I don't want her worrying about something she doesn't need to. Wendy saw my mom today and they got into a bit of an argument about it since Grandeeney hasn't told her anything either. They're going out tomorrow afternoon to make up for it."

A moment of silence passes with only the sound of the tv to fill the empty conversation. Natsu was still so convinced that Igneel was going to return any day now yet he still wanted to protect his sister from thinking otherwise. It seemed like everyone was avoiding the obvious question but it didn't feel right to ask and it was only a matter of time before Wendy figured something out.

Lucy rose from the cushion, leaving the drink behind on the coffee table in front of her. "I'm going to go talk to her." Natsu and Gray exchanged worried glances as the blonde stood up and walked into the closed bedroom.

Inside she found what she would expect a spare room to look like. One small twin sized bed against the window, a desk against the wall just to the left of her and a small closet with sliding doors filled with a few outfits a fourteen-year-old girl would wear. Wendy sat on the bed, mindlessly scribbling into a notebook with head phones in both ears. As Lucy approached her, Wendy reached for her IPod and paused her song.

"Heard you were a little upset." Wendy scooted over so that Lucy could sit next to her on the bed.

"I'm not a scared little kid. I'm old enough to take care of myself and I can handle what everyone is hiding from me." She didn't face Lucy. Instead she continued to draw mindlessly onto the lined paper. "Everyone thinks that just because I'm Natsu's little sister that I don't know how to fight." Wendy paused for a second, her expression turned solemn.

"Maybe they're right. I mean, it's because of me that you almost died. It's my fault you were turned into a ghoul." A few strands of long blue hair fell, hiding Wendy's tear filled eyes. Lucy smothered the young girl with a hug, allowing the tears to soak into her shoulder while uttering small noises in an attempt to soothe her.

"Wendy, it is not your fault. Don't you dare ever think for a second that me changing was your fault. You are one of the strongest women I have ever met and, if anything, you have helped change my life for the better." At this point Wendy had stopped crying but she continued to cling onto Lucy's torso, hiding her face. "I mean I would have never met you, Natsu, Gray or anyone else at the shop. I wouldn't be here telling a very strong, intelligent woman that even the strongest people need protecting every once in a while, and that that is exactly what everyone is doing. Everyone is protecting their strongest fighter until she is ready for the real fight."

Wendy squeezed Lucy before releasing her and pulling back. Her blue hair stuck to her forehead and evidence of some tears lined her cheeks which she tried wiping away.

"Thank you, Lucy." Lucy smiled and gave Wendy one last hug before she turned around and grabbed the hair brush lying on the desk on the other side of the room. Lucy diverted the topic of Igneel and tried to focus on her plans with her mother the next day. Wendy of course had no idea.

"You wanna know something I used to do with my mom whenever I got upset?" Wendy nodded.

"Whenever I was having a bad day, I remember my mom taking me into town to buy a book. It could be any book I wanted but whatever it was, she had to read it to me later that day when we got home. I remember once I picked out that was nearly 300 pages long just because the cover of the book had a pretty star on the front. My mom read the book to me in only two days and so I made her read it to me again!"

Wendy giggled at the story. In a way, Wendy reminded Lucy of herself when she was her age. Of course, her mother was no longer a live at that age but the point still stands.

"Maybe that's what we can do! Mom and I can go to the store and get a book. Maybe one of those teen vampire books everyone is always talking about." Lucy laughed at the thought. Yep, just like her.

After their conversation, Wendy decided it was time for her to go to bed so Lucy left her for the night. She rejoined the boys out in the living room, who were now drunk and arguing over what appeared to be _The Bachelor_ on the screen. A few more hours passed as well as a few more drinks before sleep took over Lucy and she passed out on Natsu's shoulder.

* * *

Lucy woke up the morning groggy as hell. She was still in Natsu and Gray's apartment, covered in a woven blanket with the logo of the college the boys went to and lying on the pulled-out futon. The room was surprisingly warm considering the boys always argue over the thermostat. She sat up, stretching her arms. Sluggishly, she got up and went to the disaster of a kitchen and poured herself some of the coffee that someone had made earlier that morning in one of the only clean cups in the house. Lucy groaned.

Her phone on the table vibrated and caught Lucy's eye. It was a text message from Levy saying she was going to be out most of the day with Gajeel and to let her know when she planned on coming home. Lucy smirked.

"Not sure yet. I need to go and get some stuff around town so I'll let you know." Lucy hit send and then continued. "I'll give you and Gajeel some alone time ;)"

Levy replied to her defense and Lucy couldn't help but giggle to herself. It was fun messing with her.

"Morning Luce." Lucy looked up from her phone to see Natsu in his Saturday best: shirtless and in sweatpants from the fire department he worked for. It wasn't nearly the first time she'd seen him shirtless but his body was something that always caught her attention.

"Morning Natsu. Where's Wendy? I figured she'd be up already."

Natsu strode over to the coffee machine and poured a cup he had to clean himself. "Mom picked her up earlier today around eleven."

Bits of last night returned to her. Wendy leaving the room suddenly, their heart-to-heart talk in the spare room, and then passing out on the futon afterward. Lucy looked at the time. It was nearly one.

"I slept in that much?!" She elbowed Natsu in the ribs earning a surprised yelp.

"What the hell Luce?!"

"Why would you let me sleep in so late? I've got stuff I could have been doing all morning!" She yelled as she ran around the apartment trying to find her purse. She scrambled to put her boots on and groaned when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hands flew to her hair, deciding that pulling it into a side pony tail was her easiest option at this point. Lucy found her keys and made her way to the door, dodging a fully clothed Gray.

"Hey! So, are we all still up for next Friday at the shop?" Natsu spoke up, still holding the semi-clean mug. Lucy squinted before it dawned on her.

"Yes! I'll see if Levy wants to stop by if that's alright." Lucy opened up the door. "Oh, and Gray? Your clothes."

Lucy could hear Natsu laughing at Gray, who was now standing in the living room with only his underwear. Insults were thrown and the sound of something crashing echoed as she closed the door behind her. Lucy blew it off, used to their fighting at this point, and continued making her way down to her car.

Her mind wandered to last night's events. After she returned from the room Wendy was staying in, she'd found the boys arguing over who should have been given a rose and who shouldn't have on _The Bachelor_. Of course, they had had a few too many beers in her absence but it also didn't help that Natsu was about as lightweight as they came. Lucy had maneuvered her way back to the couch, sitting on the far left of the futon. Taking note of this, Natsu leaned over to her, resting his head on her shoulder. He moved her hair just enough so that he wouldn't lay on it. Lucy gave him a strange look when Natsu pressed his face into the long blonde hair that wasn't in the way. He noisily inhaled and drunkenly smiled.

"You smell nice."  
Lucy's face must have been as pink as his hair. She looked away from him, unable to form a coherent sentence. Luckily, the boys were too drunk to notice her behavior. Natsu sat back up and leaned in so that they were mere inches apart. They could hear each other's breathing, possibly even their heartbeats. She tried to lose eye contact but couldn't find it in herself to look away. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned in.

"Natsu, your dumbass changed the channel!"

"I didn't do anything ice-ass!" Natsu glowered at the man before looking down and seeing that he was in fact sitting on the remote. Gray laughed at his stupidity, only to be met with a remote to the face.

They continued they're arguing, completely oblivious to Lucy who was frozen to her seat.

 _I almost kissed Natsu last night…_

Lucy shook her head, trying to rid her mind of last night. They were both drunk! Or at least he was, but she was tired so maybe she just wasn't thinking clearly! That had to be it. It was just a spur of the moment thing. It's not like she actually had feelings for him.

Before she knew it, Lucy was already getting out of her car and walking around downtown. She wandered around the stores, not looking for anything in particular. It was about two in the afternoon on a Saturday. The streets were busy, crowded even, but nothing that she wasn't used to from living in the city for so long. She was still getting used to what felt like prying eyes. It was still as if everyone somehow knew what she was.

"Someone help!"

Lucy looked around for the cry. Her eyes fell on Wendy, who was on the other side of the street and had just tripped and fell with a plastic shopping bag in her hand. She was crying and screaming for help. Lucy ran over to her.

"Wendy! What happened? Are you okay?" She helps Wendy up. Her bottom of her green dress was dusted with dirt and she had a few small scrapes on her arms and legs from the fall. Wendy's face is red, a mixture for running for so long and how hard she's obviously been crying. Grandeeney was nowhere to be seen.

"Wendy, where's your m-"

"Mom's in trouble! We have to help her!" Wendy takes Lucy's hand and runs in the other direction she came from. They turn a corner and come across an alley that would normally be empty, but was instead full of men in suits, all with brief cases. _Doves_

"Mom! I brou-" Her words were muffled as Lucy immediately clamped her mouth shut with her hand and pulled Wendy to the side, refusing to release no matter how hard Wendy fought back. Lucy leaned her head and peered down the alley. Grandeeney was in the center surrounded, her kagune in full display, both of her eyes black.

One of the men closest to her pressed a button on his brief case, releasing some sort of weapon. Although she'd been warned about them, this was the first time Lucy had seen one of their weapons before. It was a kagune, but mutilated to be used to kill its own kind. This particular one shown bright red, almost flame like and in the shape of a tail but formed into a sword for the user. Grandeeney collapsed to her knees, tears falling.

Lucy didn't need to hear the conversation to know that it was Igneel.

The mother, knowing she was in her last moments, spotted Lucy, holding back a hysteric Wendy, behind her executioners.

"Keep them safe." She looked up to the sky, tears rolling down her cheeks. Grandeeney smiled.

Lucy's mother's smiling face flashed before her eyes just as the Dove delivered the lethal blow. Wendy let loose a blood curdling scream into Lucy's hand. Her body shook with sobs, still restrained by Lucy, who was now covering the young girl's eyes. Lucy shut her eyes and bit her tongue, refusing to let any sound come out. There was no pain on earth that could compare to watching a child lose their parent right in front of them.


End file.
